''Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound'' is the thirtieth studio album by American country music artist Hank Williams Jr. and his fourth on the Elektra/Curb labels. The full-length album was Williams' second of 1979, with '' Family Tradition'' released in April.
Reception
Released in November 1979, ''Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound'' peaked at number 5 on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' Top Country Albums chart, his second consecutive Top 5 for the label and only his second Top 5 album since 1969's ''
Live at Cobo Hall
''Live at Cobo Hall'' is a live album by American musician Hank Williams Jr. The full title is ''Hank Williams Jr. Live at Cobo Hall Detroit''. The album was issued by MGM Records as number SE 4644 and later re-issued by Polydor Records as 811 90 ...
''. It was certified Platinum by the
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
, marking it as his third Gold album certification and his first Platinum album. The album generated two major hit singles, the title track and "Women I've Never Had", that peaked at number 2 and number 5 on the ''Billboard''
Hot Country Singles & Tracks
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States.
This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...
Robert Christgau
Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...
wrote: "At times his son-of-an-outlaw obsession is worse than shtick, but here he does justice to the formula. Two candid songs about women tell you more about his sexism than he knows himself, two others explain why he's in that mood, the covers from Gregg Allman and George Jones define his parameters, and 'The Conversation'—with Waylon Guess Who, about Guess Who, Sr.—doesn't make you gag once." In 2006, CMT ranked it #16 on its list of the top 40 albums in country music history.
Track listing
All songs written by Hank Williams, Jr., except where noted.
# " Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound" 3:09
# "Tired of Being Johnny B. Good" 2:35
# "Outlaw Women" 3:02
# "(I Don't Have) Anymore Love Songs" 2:24
# " White Lightnin'" (
J.P. Richardson
Jiles Perry "J.P." Richardson Jr. (October 24, 1930 – February 3, 1959), known as The Big Bopper, was an American singer, songwriter and disc jockey. His best-known compositions include "Chantilly Lace" and " White Lightning", the latter of wh ...
) 2:21
# "
Women I've Never Had
"Women I've Never Had" is a song written and recorded by American musician Hank Williams Jr. It was released in March 1980 as the second single from the album '' Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound''. The song reached number 5 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Co ...
*Hank Williams, Jr. - vocals, acoustic guitar
* James Burton, Rock Killough - acoustic guitar
*James Burton,
Reggie Young
Reggie Grimes Young Jr. (December 12, 1936 – January 17, 2019) was an American musician who was lead guitarist in the American Sound Studio house band, The Memphis Boys, and was a leading session musician. He played on various recordings with ...
Joe Osborn
Joseph Osborn (August 28, 1937 – December 14, 2018Larrie Londin - drums, percussion
* Kieran Kane - mandolin
*Rock Killough - harmonica
*
Buddy Spicher
Buddy Spicher (born July 28, 1938 in DuBois, Pennsylvania; pronounced “Spiker”) is an American country music fiddle player. He is a member of The Nashville A-Team of session musicians, and is Grammy-nominated. He was nominated as Instrumental ...
- viola
*John Gore, Jim Horn, Irving Kane, Terry Mead, Muscle Shoals Horns - horns
* Waylon Jennings - vocals on "The Conversation"
Production
*Produced By Jimmy Bowen
*Engineered By Jimmy Bowen & Ron Treat
* Ethan Russell - photography